Founder of Jaguar…Mr. William Lyons desired to elevate the cachet and prominence of the brand by catering to prestige sports car buyers.
It was post-war era and Jaguar had introduced the XK140…and this car would catapult Jaguar into its finest years. Production of the XK140 continued through 1957 with a total manufacturing of 3347 roadsters…2797 fixed-head coupes…and 2740 drophead coupes…it was later replaced by the even more powerful XK150.
Proving their endurance and grit the legendary XK cars were extreme and outright winners of some of the most grueling road and track races in the world including…LeMans 1953-1955-1956-and 1957.
Of all of the XK140s built…only a select few coachbuilders designed their own coachwork…and very few were built in Italy. Pictured is a one of one XK140 bespoke creation by owner Guido Modiano who commissioned Zagato to build the new coupe body for his XK140 which was badly damaged in a crash.
It’s final embodiment was so striking that Elio and Ugo Zagato proudly displayed this exquisite rare coupe at the 1957 Paris Auto Salon…there were plans to create more…however only one was completed.
This mythical beauty was often compared to an Alfa Romeo model and the Ferrari 250 GT Zagato of the time…which coincidentally could have even shared space at the carrozzerias Milanese workshop.
A few unique features of the ZagJag include 1) sophisticated bespoke inlay/woodgrain trim 2) complete interior draped in rich tan suede leather, unheard of in that era…3) a one piece cast unit front grille with lighter weight slats…4) distinguishing and identifiable amber lights above the front bumper 5) the stunning flow of the aerodynamic shell sporting thinner aluminum body panels which sets the backdrop and creates an echo chamber for the glorious sounds emitted from the belly of this cats lightly tuned 3.4- liter straight-six. The naturally aspirated front-mounted engine linked to a 4-speed manual gearbox and a DOHC valvetrain was capable of ~201.2 kph /125.0mph. After various owners and restorations this truly unique one-off creation is considered “priceless”!
Currently, this legendary automobile continues to make the rounds at the most prestigious concours events worldwide.
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